


Sweet Treats

by petitbabi



Category: NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Fluff, M/M, Slytherin!Haechan, gryffindor!mark, literally just soft boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-09-18 23:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20321350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petitbabi/pseuds/petitbabi
Summary: Gryffindor Prefect Mark Lee thinks his sixth year at Hogwarts will pass him by like any other with his best friends by his side. But, a certain fifth year Slytherin Quidditch star comes sneaking into his life with a few sweet treats in hand.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *finally had time to beta-read hehe*  
also, if anyone wants to translate please let me know first~
> 
> Hi everyone~  
So this was originally supposed to be a oneshot but it ended up being way more complex in my head so here we are.  
I'm in love with the idea of slytherin!hyuck bc he's the epitome of one?? I really needed some soft markhyuck since I'm a sucker for soft bois♡♡  
Also, gray haired haechan is the best haechan, fight me!!!

The students of Hogwarts were a month into the new school year, excitement of being back to their second home having died down with the weight of school work returning full throttle. Mark Lee, the male prefect of Gryffindor, had settled in much quicker than most of the other students as a sixth year prefect which meant he moved in early to help professors prepare for the always anticipated Sorting Day and to thoroughly go over (more like be lectured on) the responsibilities of prefects. Being a sixth year also meant that the extreme teenage anxieties of underclassmen trying desperately to find as many new friends as possible was far beyond him since Mark had already been with his friend group for so long they were more like siblings at this point (he swears his mom was more proud of when one of his bffs and roommate Jeno became a beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team than when Mark became a prefect).

Speaking of his best friends, Mark is currently walking to the Great Hall at ass o’clock in the morning on a Saturday to catch breakfast with Jaemin before they had to make moves all the way near the greenhouse to go feed the fairies. Thankfully, Jaemin was also chosen as a Hufflepuff prefect this year so he had someone to suffer with when they got either super early morning or super late night duties.

Mark grumbles when he exits the dim corridors of West Hall and gets hit with sun directly in his eyes as he’s passing by the distant Quidditch field. He always hates getting fairy duty because those little buggers are always so bitchy towards him about his glasses (he learned in his Mystical Creatures class last year that those vain motherfuckers find joy in picking on people’s physical appearances), and to make matters worse, they seem to _adore_ Jaemin. Really, that Hufflepuff just has a way of flirting that not even creatures can resist, apparently. Hm, now that Mark thinks about it, maybe that’s how he got two boyfriends.

He shifts his head towards the Quidditch field in the hopes that the sun won’t be so in his eyes while he walks the long open walkway leading to the Great Hall, and is surprised to see a figure flying around on a broomstick on the field. The figure who he can make out as a guy with silver hair in Slytherin green sports wear, is doing drills alone, looping in and out of the 3 goal posts at a speed that Mark has to admit beats Jeno by a mile (he already knows Jeno would yell back “beaters are built for pure strength not speed!!!”).

“Damn, I know ‘Quidditch is life’ is like meant to be half serious but it’s 6:40am on a Saturday,” Mark mumbles before finally making his way to the ginormous Great Hall doors. The doors are closed which means he’s the first person to get there, which isn’t surprising considering the house elves apparate everywhere and Mark eventually learned that most professors like to, _gasp_, sleep decent hours like normal people. Never expecting Jaemin to arrive earlier than him, the bastard had a real problem with waking up but then also always had to go back to his room for forgetting his wand. Mark opened the double doors and recited a quick charm to keep them bolted open for the rest of the day. He savors in the sight and sound, or lack thereof, of the completely barren Great Hall that’s usually the most bustling part of Hogwarts and smiles to himself. ‘Truly a prefect privilege,’ Mark thinks to himself before he jumps, startled from a screeching Hufflepuff sprinting down the hall. 

“MARK LEE MY FAVORITE NERD, I’M HERE!”

“FUCKING SHI- Merlin’s Beard Jaemin, I swear your voice echoes all the way to the damn owlery when you scream like that, you crackhead.”

Jaemin just laughs and hooks his arm around Mark’s shoulder to drag him to sit at the Gryffindor table. A second after their butts touched their seats, their section of the table was filled with the special Saturday morning breakfast which always reminded Mark of when he’d visit his cousin Johnny’s house in America. He wrote a mental note to write to his favorite cousin who was in his last year at Ilvermorny. 

“Aw, Markie no need to be mean, I’m sorry I was a little late okay? I just had a super late night with… well you know,” Jaemin drifted off, at least having the decency to be sheepish.

“Yeah, yeah you were being disgusting with Renjun and Jeno, I know- I heard Jeno coming at like 3AM. I literally don’t know how you’re a prefect Jaem, you break, like, all the rules,” Mark deadpanned as he watched Jaemin stuff his face with treacle french toast.

Mark grimaces when his friend tries to speak with his mouth still full and hands him a glass of milk to wash it down first.

“Yeah but you know I would never get caught, plus even if I did get caught, the profs love my love of love too much to do anything.” Mark gags when Jaemin winks at him.

“I still don’t know how you ended up with two boyfriends by the end of the summer, one of them being our other best friend, Jeno fucking Lee. Though, can’t say that’s the one I’m surprised about- how’d y’all even find someone else that was willing to put up with two idiots?”

Jaemin gasps dramatically, “Mark how can you call your two bestest friends idiots?! Jeno and I are catches! Plus, you’ve met Renjun enough times by now to know we need a Slytherin like him to keep us in check and balance out our relationship.”

“Hm, that’s true, I guess I just never imagined either of you guys to date a Slytherin but tbh Renjun does carry all the brain cells so all respect to him,” Mark laughs as he dodges Jaemin’s smack.

The Hufflepuff chuckles as Mark fixes his glasses that almost flew off his face from the abrupt dodge, “come on, we better get to the fairies before they throw a fit about not getting enough antioxidants in their strict diet.”

They get up and make their way to the grand doors, but are startled by the sudden entrance of a certain tan skinned Slytherin Quidditch seeker. Nearly bumping into him, a flustered Mark apologizes profusely, “Oh Merlin, I’m so sorry I didn’t see y-you!”

The Slytherin, silver hair still slightly damp from the morning workout, smiles at the other’s stuttering and let’s out a quiet “it’s okay, don’t worry about it, Prefect Mark” before walking to the Slytherin table. Mark is left standing there with his mouth open and a giggling Jaemin pushing him out of the Great Hall. How did the Haechan Lee know his name? 

🍪

Mark throws a “see ya later, Jeno” behind his shoulder as he leaves the warmth of their shared room. He hears a “bye Markly, have fun!” and rushes down to exit the Gryffindor common room. He mentally prepares himself for a boring, lonely hour of patrolling the halls for any student that might be out after curfew. By now, Mark knows the exact spots that all underclassmen think are super sneaky, because well, he and his friends hid in those same places years back. Now, of course they’ve upgraded considering they now know the castle like the back of their hands and is also why Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun never get caught in their midnight escapades.

He’s halfway done with his route, boredom slowly creeping in as there hasn’t been a single soul in sight- besides, the occasional passing ghost. Mark contemplates on straying from his usual route today to just head for the prefects bathroom to take a much needed hot bath, maybe even get in a quick wank if he’s lucky enough for no ghost to bother him. He decides that sounds pretty damn good for a Monday night and takes a sharp left to cut past the kitchens to get to the stairs quicker.

He abruptly stops in his tracks, almost tripping over his own foot, when he hears whispers coming from directly ahead near the kitchens. The prefect inwardly groans, “I mean for real, I haven’t deducted points in so long, why tonight of all nights when I just wanna be lazy?”

He gets as close to conversation as possible without being seen, hoping it’ll just end soon and he can go on his merry way without writing anyone up, but his eyes go wide when he sees a house elf handing a student a baggie of some sort. Mark squints to try and see who the student might be or what was being handed over in the baggies but they were a little too far, plus Mark really needed a new glasses prescription. The two figures are now hugging- the student on his knees to be eye level with the house elf- and Mark can’t help but think he’s intruding on a private moment, so he ducks his head back behind the wall he’s hiding behind. Though, as he knows very well from Jaemin’s antics, Hogwarts walls echo quite a bit when the rest of the castle is dead quiet and he can’t help but hear parts of their conversation.

“Ugh, thanks so much Ollie, I really needed this. I’ve been looking forward to these alllll week!”

“It is no problem for Ollie to provide Donghyuck’s favorites for him because Donghyuck is my friend!”

Mark hears this Donghyuck giggle as they bid goodbye as Ollie the house elf pads back to the kitchens. He waits for a few seconds of silence and determines Donghyuck has left through a different hallway, so he finally leans off the wall and turns towards the kitchens.

“OH FUC-!” “AHH!”

The next thing he knows, their both on the ground. A shocked Mark looks at the culprit, about to reluctantly scold a second-year or something but gasps when he realizes he’s face to face with Haechan Lee. Said boy is still rubbing a sore spot on his forehead with a pout on his lips.

Haechan grumbles to himself, “hmph I just got over a Quidditch injury last month, now another one?” paying no mind to a shocked Mark.

Haechan suddenly perks his head up, realizing the situation, making eye contact with Mark for the first time that night.

“O-oh uhm… Prefect Mark! It’s not what it seems, I swear! I was just… sleepwalking?” He looks at Mark with big round puppy eyes, knowing that was the lamest excuse any Slytherin could have conjured up. Mark clears his throat and shakes his head to get himself out of the trance he was in- he swears Haechan’s sparkly eyes, still adorned with the soft pink eye shadow he had on that day, could hypnotize people. He gets up and reaches a hand out for Haechan to take.

“I-it’s okay, I’ll just let you off with a warning. It’s only like 30 minutes after curfew and to be honest I was about to dip rounds anyways heh. Are you okay though, did you hurt your head?”

Haechan takes his hand with the one that’s not holding the two baggies and sighs in relief.

He giggles, “no no, I’m all good now that I’m not in trouble by Prefect Mark!”

Mark chuckles and suggests “well, you’re not in trouble but I do need to make sure you get back to the Slytherin dorms safe so let’s start walkin. Also, you really don’t need to call me ‘Prefect Mark’ every time you say my name, which by the way, how’d you even know?”

They begin walking towards the dungeons and the Slytherin replies with a blush, “Oh, okay… Mark. Well lots of people know you? You’re like one of the smartest sixth years and you’re a prefect a-and you work at the library so whenever I go, I see you with your little nametag on, so yeah.”

Mark blinks at him, “huh wow I didn’t think those things would ever accumulate to me being noticed by Haechan Lee, the hard carry of the Slytherin Quidditch team and the flower arranging club, might I add, who’s like beloved by the entirety of Hogwarts.”

“Oh! So you do know my name… you’ve never said it before so I thought…”

“Merlin, of course I know your name Haechan, who doesn’t?”

“I mean, I didn’t wanna assume, besides there’s plenty of students who aren’t that interested in sports… oop, here we are!”

They reach the entrance of the Slytherin common room, which normally would freak the fuck out of Mark but oddly tonight it seems to look cozy- it might have to do with a caramel toned, round-eyed, pink lipped boy who was caught after hours. Haechan looks to the floor at his feet for a couple seconds, but builds up the courage to hand Mark one of the two baggies in his hand. He holds it up near Mark’s chest and gives him a bright smile that reaches his eyes, turning them into crescents.

“Here, these are uber special cookies that are my absolute favorites in the world, they’re double chocolate chunk with cinnamon and vanilla bean filling! It’s a thank you for letting me go, coach would’ve been so mad if I was late to practice cus of detention,” Haechan says, a little embarrassed.

Mark takes the baggie from Haechan’s hand and grins so hard he knows he looks like a dork, “you’re lucky I have a sweet tooth, maybe I should catch you sneaking around more often so I can get more sweet treats.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Mark is harshly woken up by a sun-filled room and the booming voice of his very bleached blonde roommate.

“MR. PREFECT, I hope you don’t mind me taking a bite of this insanely tempting looking cookie! Also, you’ve got exactly 30 minutes till we gotta head to Potions,” Jeno says as he reaches for the baggie on Mark’s desk. Mark is suddenly wide awake as his reflexes kick into gear, jumping out of bed and throwing his body onto his best friend before the blonde could even open the bag.

“Noooo don’t you dare- I was saving that, you dumbass!” Mark grabs the treat from his hands and hugs it to his chest, glaring at his friend who very fortunately had enough muscle mass to not topple to the floor from Mark running into him.

Jeno pouts but moves to his own desk to pack his bag for class, “damn Mark, since when did you get so cold huh? Can’t even spare a bite for your best friend?”

Mark rolls his eyes and sets the cookie carefully into his desk drawer, “Oh shut up, you’ve got two boyfies to give you sweets every damn day.”

Jeno tries to keep up the fake disappointment but let’s a grin grow on his face, “yeah, I guess you’re right about that, though I’m the one giving them something sweeter than lollipops, ya know for equal exchange.”

“Holy fu- wow, I never thought Jaemin could rub off on you like that but…” Mark pretends to stab himself in the heart before rushing to the bathroom to avoid the pillow thrown in his direction.

It’s not until that evening that Mark has a moment completely alone, his room empty due to Jeno having Quidditch practice. He quietly shuts the door behind him and rushes to his desk without bothering to take off his backpack. Opening the exact drawer that he had been thinking about at random times that day, Mark rips open the baggie and is hit with the scent of chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla. He automatically smiles, mentally thanking the silver haired Quidditch player again. He brings the cookie to his mouth, no longer able to resist, and takes a huge bite- he’s glad Jeno’s not there to make fun of the way chocolate was now smudged at the corners of his mouth. His eyes naturally close and he lets out a drawling groan as the flavors warm his body from the inside out. There’s a buzzing sense of sitting in front of a fire cuddled in blankets, of being home for vacation without a care in the world, and of sweet yet slightly spicy (‘must be the cinnamon’, Mark gathers) kisses of comfort after a long day. He can’t help but wonder if these cozy feelings are what Haechan experiences when indulging on the treat too.

🍪

The next time Mark and Haechan get a chance to have a real conversation it’s the following Friday night when curfew isn’t until midnight. The two had only briefly passed by each other through out the week a couple times in between classes but were always rushing to get to their next location. Though slightly disappointed that he couldn’t properly thank the Slytherin who seemed to constantly be encircled by his many friends, Mark was still satisfied by the brief eye contact and shy wave from the boy.

It’s almost 11PM and Hogwarts is still rowdy from the Slytherin v. Hufflepuff Quidditch match that had ended just a couple hours prior. Of course, on game nights there are parties happening around the castle, the wildest ones always being in the Room of Requirement (as a prefect, he and Jaemin really should be using that knowledge for disciplinary reasons, but they obviously get just as wasted as everyone else). Mark stumbles his way out of a party in the Hufflepuff common room, leaving his best friends to take fire whisky shots since they’re sulking about their ‘Injunnie abandoning them to go search for his bff’. He’s way too sober to be in the completely packed, sweaty mess of a party so he decides to get some fresh air all the way up on the astronomy tower. He’s glad he’s not afraid of heights because he swears it’s so high up he could practically touch the moon.

Mark trudges up the last of the stairs and fixes the glasses that have fallen significantly down his nose bridge. Though he’s only escaped to the astronomy tower a few times before, he already knew his favorite spot was the ledge facing the ocean, slightly hidden behind a wall of ivy. He paces over while humming a song from the party, but immediately stops from embarrassment when he sees a figure leaning on his ledge. The figure turns their head towards Mark, now realizing his presence and both their eyes widen.

“Haechan? What are you doing here at this time?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Mark,” Haechan counters with a head tilted.

Mark hums playfully, “yeah, but I’m not the one that just won a very important Quidditch match, am I? You should be celebrating with your many admirers.”

Haechan pats the open seat next to him and Mark obeys.

Though he still has a soft smile on his face, Haechan’s eyes shift downwards at his fiddling hands.

“Hm I should, shouldn’t I? I bet one of my bestie’s is looking for me instead of enjoying his time with his boyfriends right now… my other two friends are definitely in some corner making out… but, I don’t know,” he shrugs, “I’m just not really in the mood to appease people who kiss my feet but don’t actually care about me?”

Haechan’s head bolts up and his hands are now gesticulating between them, “Oh no, I hope that doesn’t make me sound ungrateful! I promise I’m not some elitist assh-”

Mark furrows his brows and catches one of Haechan’s flying hands to assure him, “hey, don’t worry, that’s not what I was thinking at all.” The Slytherin lets out a relieved sigh and gives Mark a grateful smile.

Mark suddenly remembers what he had been meaning to tell the boy the whole week. “By the way, I wanted to thank you for that treat last week. I would’ve done it sooner but I feel like I barely see you around- you must be a hot commodity,” he chuckles. Haechan knocks their shoulders together at Mark’s lame comment but he grins, “you’re very welcome. When I get two I usually share with my roomie slash bff but what Injunnie doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Mark tilts his head looking deep in thought, “huh, boyfriends… Injunnie… wait! Is your bestie Huang Renjun??”

Haechan bursts out laughing, his head thrown back, nose scrunched up and plump lips spread wide to let out his most unfiltered laugh. He’s wiping away fake tears and let’s out, “o-oh my Mark, did you seriously _just_ realize that your two best friends are dating _my_ wonderful bff Renjun? You’re supposed to be the smart one, what happened?”

Mark gives an embarrassed look, “well, in my defense whenever I do see you, you’re surrounded by a ton of people and he’s quite short so…”

The silver haired boy laughs again and under the night’s bright moon, Mark can see the sprinkling of freckles on the other boy’s cheeks- he’s unconsciously proud he’s able to see Haechan when he hasn’t reapplied his makeup following the after-game shower. “I’m sooo telling Injun you said that, though that would also mean he’d wanna know how we bumped into each other and I’d have to admit I got two cookies that day.” The boy shudders thinking about it, “he’d be upset at me for multiple reasons and I _do not_ want that.”

Mark raises an eyebrow, “I know from Jeno that he likes sweets but why’d he be that upset?”

Haechan brings his fingers to his mouth, as if he just said something he shouldn’t have. Knowing Mark is expecting an answer, he replies, “well it’s just that my buddy Ollie- the house elf that bakes these special cookies for me once a week- only gives me extra when he knows I’m stressed or upset. So, Injunnie knows that when I come home with one for him, I’m feeling down and he tries to help me get out of my slump.”

Mark wasn’t sure what answer he was expecting to hear but that was not it. His brows are furrowed again, “wait so since you got two that night, you were feeling down?? And Renjun didn’t know so does that mean… you haven’t gotten better since then?” Haechan’s eyes shift as he bites his bottom lip, not sure whether he should just change the subject. Mark then places a hand on top of his and squeezes to let him know it’s okay to talk it out.

“I mean, my other besties- Jisungie and his Huffie boyf Chenle, not sure if you know them- they kinda got a sense I was stressed a few days ago but I brushed it off since it’s not that big a deal,” he shrugged.

“If you couldn’t get it off your chest before, might as well do it now, right?” Mark nudged.

Haechan sighed, “you really don’t wanna listen to my stupid woes, but alright. It’s just…Quidditch practices are grueling after I just recovered from my injury, coach keeps reminding me that scouts are looking at me at our games and even though I practice extra on my own, I still can’t even get that damn Plumpton Pass move just right yet.” He’s winded from talking so fast but pouts as he continues, “then, I have Divination which is, like, the bane of my existence- I totally failed the last exam and now I’m worried I’ll fail and get kicked off the team all for not being able to read my future in tea leaves. Then there’s _also_ the stupid Yule Ball coming up in a month and my lonely ass can’t even go with my best friends because they’re all fuckin dating.” Haechan whines lowly to himself about how his friends had the audacity of pressuring him about the Ball when they had automatic dates.

The moonlit boy puts his free hand on top of Mark’s and says, “oh it’s just typical student stuff, I told you. I’m fine, I’m a hard, tough Slytherin after all!”

Mark looks at him with his soft eyes, “Haechannie, I know you think your feelings and concerns are somehow invalid or lesser than, but please don’t think that way. You’ve got a lot on your plate and there’s nothing wrong with being pressured by it all, I just wish you’d let your friends know about it sooner- someone who shines so brightly shouldn’t let anything dim their light. I also… have learned first hand that Slytherin stereotypes are oh-so-very wrong and y’all can be humble, shy, compassionate, quirky, pull off pink eyeshadow, and even be friends with a talented house elf named Ollie.”

Haechan giggles with his face in his hands, “did they give you that cheesy script at Prefect orientation, Mark?” Mark snorts and flicks his forehead.

Haechan asks with flushed cheeks, “besides, I just told you… and you’re my friend, aren’t you?”

Mark’s breath hitches but not a second later he beams. “Of course we’re friends, otherwise I wouldn’t offer you personal tutoring in Divination, which just happens to be one of my best subjects.”

Haechan’s eyes go wide as he gasps in disbelief, immediately squeezing his arms around Mark’s neck in a tight hug. “Marrrkkkk you’re the best guardian angel from nerd heaven any wizard could ask for!” 

“Wait! Before I forget, I never got to ask you. That night… Ollie called you Donghyuk? That’s why I didn’t even realize it was you.”

Haechan releases Mark from his hug and looks at him sheepishly, running his hands through his silver hair nervously. “O-oh you heard that? Donghyuck is actually my real name… Haechan’s the name my dad gave me when I was young to use as my Quidditch player name- it’s kinda cheesy, I know. So, only my closest friends call me by my real name. A-and since we just established that we’re friends now… you can call me Hyuck, if you want!” He squeals into the fabric of sleeve, face heating up from how he thinks he just made a fool of himself.

Mark bites his lip to keep from squealing at the sight himself and lowers Haechan’s arm from his face. He looks up at Mark with the cutest pout but before he can apologize for possibly overstepping a boundary, Mark asserts, “I’m pretty sure I made myself clear when I said we were friends, _Hyuckie_.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thanks so much for the support guys!!  
Seriously, this story was not meant to be this long (notice how the total # of chaps increases every time lmao) and I typically get too unmotivated to write multiple chapters but y'all make it worth while♡  
I also love that Hyuck's unconventional slytherin-ness and duality is appreciated hehe  
enjoy♡

Mark keeps good on his promise of the tutoring deal, of course the loyal Gryffindor made sure to follow up to let the Slytherin boy know he meant serious business. Haechan had gladly handed over a copy of his weekly schedule, trusting Mark to find a set time that would work for both of them. It’s the following Wednesday after dinner hours have ended and Mark is waiting for the silver haired boy to begin their first Divination tutoring session. He’s sitting at one of the Divination Stations (very appropriately named, Mark thinks) in the back of the library, setting up the water boiler. He checks the clock, it’s 7:09 and he rolls his eyes, knowing Donghyuck is probably held up by someone or something like Jaemin also tends to be. He fiddles with his glasses that are slightly fogging up from his close proximity to the almost boiling water, but almost swipes them off accidently when he hears quick footsteps and a loud “Mark!”

He twists around to see a panting Donghyuck with damp hair and a green duffle bag with little Quidditch and flower pins on it, being aggressively shushed by the librarian that always gives Mark the worst hours. The Slytherin grimaces and profusely apologizes before shuffling over to a shaking Mark who’s trying and failing to keep his laughter in. Haechan gives an offended look, punching his arm but snickering with him, “Markie, I refuse to apologize for being late if you keep laughing at me like that!”

Mark quiets down but shoots him a flustered look after catching a few students glancing in their direction, “Hyuck, you can’t just go around calling me that, what if people hear?”

Haechan pokes Mark’s cheek with a grin, “but, what’s so wrong about people hearing my nickname for you? Are you embarrassed, hm?”

The Gryffindor playfully pretends to bite the finger, causing the other boy to take back his hand and finally sit down next to him and drop his sports bag.

“Nah I’m not embarrassed, it’s just… I feel like some people will be surprised that we’re friends? Maybe even not like it cus, well, you’re you and I’m me? If you haven’t noticed Donghyuck, I’m kind of a nerd and you’re, like, not?”

Haechan tilts his head in confusion. “Markie, I happen to really not give a fuck if people think you’re a nerd or if they think I’m the damn Messiah. If some ignorant, shallow people who know nothing about me think they can, for some reason, choose my friends for me, they obviously aren’t my real friends. Besides, I personally think smart is sexy,” he ends with a dramatic wink. 

Mark coughs on his own spit and blushes so hard he can feel the heat radiating off his face (he blames the steam from the boiling water). He mumbles a _thanks_ under his breath and quickly changes the subject, “well, we should probably get started since we’re a little behind schedu-”

“Oh! Now that you’re not laughing at me, I’m so so sorry about being late,” Haechan clasps his hands together and brings them to his face in a pleading motion. Mark notices he’s barefaced again and can see his freckles under bright lights this time.

“I stayed late after practice with Jisung to see if he could spot why my Plumpton Pass wasn’t working the way I wanted and I lost track of time,” he sighs.

“So did he? Spot the reason, I mean.”

Haechan’s entire body perks up, eyes glowing in pride, “Yes! We realized it was because my arch when scooping down right before the final shoot up wasn’t deep enough- I finally got it down by the final run, Mark!”

The excited boy is practically bouncing in his seat and Mark can’t help but adore the fire he gets when he talks about what he’s passionate about. The Gryffindor chuckles and opens his arms, letting the other wrap himself around his torso, “I have no idea how any of that works, but congrats, Hyuck. I’m so proud of you, I know how much that move was stressing you out- sooo, will I be seeing it at your next game?”

Haechan settles back in his seat but beams up at him with hopeful eyes, “I’ll certainly be trying it out in the match next week… you’ll be there?”

Mark ruffles the younger’s hair with a mischievous grin, “hmm, only if I hear good things from your Div prof. Ya know, I’m real close to Prof. Suh- he just happens to be my uncle.”

Haechan’s mouth drops, making Mark snort in amusement.

“Well then hurry the fuck up Mark Lee, I need to decipher my future with these leaves so my guardian angel from nerd heaven can be at my game,” he whines.

Their next session is a few days after their first, which ended up with them staying in the library until it closed, and Haechan is surprisingly the first to show up. He waves a goodbye to Chenle who complains about him having 8 more minutes until his tutoring begins at 3. Haechan pats the Hufflepuff’s pumpkin orange hair saying, “I wanna set up early, Lele. I was late last time!”

He leaves the boy and heads to the same Divination Station at the back of the library. He’s setting up the various tea leaves and disinfecting the cups when he feels a warm hand placed on his shoulder. Haechan turns to meet Mark’s eyes, which are slightly crinkled from the smile on his face.

“Well, isn’t it a surprise to see you already here and ready to go, Hyuck?” He settles down in his seat and leans his bag against his chair.

The Slytherin rolls his eyes, “hi to you too Markie; unlike what you seem to think about me, I _can _be a decent student.” Mark simply pinches a rosy cheek, “I know, you’re even better than me at Herbology.”

The boys get into a rhythm of routine and Haechan is now very carefully draining his cup, making sure to swirl the proper amount of times. He sighs in relief when none of the precious butterfly tea leaves fall out and concentrates on the given pattern, brows furrowed and button nose slightly scrunched.

“Okay okay, I think I got this… it says that within the next month, I’ll be… stabbed by a centaur?”

“Huh???” Mark grabs the cup from the puzzled boy, but lets out a laugh when he reads the tea leaves himself.

“No need to worry, Hyuck, you’re not dying on me just yet. You got the ‘within the next month’ part right but this oval cluster paired with this petal shape means that one of your greatest growing concerns will twist to be one of your greatest excitements.”

Haechan’s lips turn from the little worried o that it was in, to a wide smile, “wow! Well, that’s super reassuring- maybe it’s about my upcoming match, or maybe I’ll ace my next Divination exam with your help, since I seem to get it better when you explain it.”

The Gryffindor can’t help but feel his heart swell at the hopeful look in Haechan’s doe eyes and hopes he can make the boy feel this joyful many more times in the future.

After their session, Mark is disappointed to part with Haechan outside the library instead of walking him to his next location, which happens to be the flower arranging club room. He needs to go collect a certain soil near Hagrid’s Hut before sunset for a potion that Professor Moon is conjuring up (he curses being a teacher’s pet right now). The honey toned boy insists it’s alright and teases, “it’s not like I’m gonna get lost, Markie.” So Mark makes his way to Hagrid’s garden with vials in hand, eager to get the task over with and meet his friends for dinner. He wonders if Donghyuck will be there after his club meeting or if he’ll get one of his friends to bring him food so he can practice more. As he’s on his knees, gardening gloves on his hands, he’s startled to find three figures walking his way. He immediately recognizes them as Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung- his heart feels like it’s beating out of his fucking chest. Mark screws on the top to the full vial in his hands and pulls on a smile when the boys stop in front of him. He feels a little better when he sees Chenle’s usual giant smile and Renjun’s casual wave. 

“Hi Mark! We saw you out here while passing by and thought we’d pay a visit to the infamous Mark Lee,” Chenle rambles out, practically squirming in anticipation under Jisung’s very long arm resting atop his shoulders.

“Well it’s very nice to meet you, Chenle and Jisung, officially and nice to see you again, Renjun! It’s been like a week since I’ve seen you, I hope Jeno and Jaemin didn’t say something stupid to make you avoid me or our common room,” he jokes.

Renjun laughs, “nah don’t worry, we’ve just been spending lots of time in Huffie instead since Nana’s still getting over his cold.”

Jisung clears his throat and gives Renjun a pointed look, sending a message through his eyes.

“Oh yes! Honestly Mark, the reason why we’re here is because we know you’ve been sending a lot of time with our Hyuck.” Mark feels his blood run cold again, but before he can panic, Jisung waves his free hand in front of him, “no no, we’re not saying it’s bad- we actually think it’s a good thing!”

Renjun nods and continues, “yeah, I wanna let you know that I know he gave you that cookie that one time and uhm, to be quite frank, I’m glad that it was you who got it and not anyone else in this hot mess of a student body. And I want to thank you for tutoring Hyuck and… for taking care of our best friend in more ways than one.”

Mark finally gets up, taking off the gloves, he rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment, “It’s really no problem, there’s no need to thank me… He’s one of the strongest people I know on his own, I guess I just want to see him happy cus well, he makes me happy too? I don’t know if I articulated that very well bu-”

Chenle squeals and in a flash, Mark’s cheek is being abused from his pinches. Jisung’s eyes go wide and apologizes to the Gryffindor after dragging his boyfriend’s body back into his arms. Renjun looks amused even though he pinches his nose bridge in resign, “so sorry about the _child,_ Mark- I was dumb and gave him a sip of Jaemin’s death coffee earlier. See you at dinner?” Renjun lightly tosses the question at Mark, head slightly tilted and a gleam in his eye. Mark sends them a soft smile and nods before they turn around, “see y’all at dinner.” 

He goes back to his soil samples but looks at the trio walking back up the hill, and Mark thinks to himself, ‘I think I know why dumb and dumber fell for this one.”

🍪

The morning of the Slytherin v. Ravenclaw Quidditch match, Mark is up early eating breakfast with Jaemin, Jeno having volunteered to help set up prep for the game that evening. They’re having a conversation about their shared Charms class when, all of a sudden, the Great Hall becomes noisy with hushed whispers. Mark turns to see who’s entered to make people gossip, and he spots the very well built, very tall, very handsome, Lucas Wong. Sure, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain has always turned heads (no one, not even Mark, could deny how objectively good looking the guy was) but these whispers definitely meant something had happened recently. As Mark is about to turn back to Jaemin to ask if he knew what was going on, his friend already stuck himself into Mark’s personal space.

“Oh. My. Merlin. I _can’t _believe I forgot to tell you what happened! According to Jeno, after the joint Sly-Gryff quidditch practice yesterday, Lucas walked Haechan back to his dorm and asked him if he’d go to Yule Ball with him!”

Mark starts choking on his toast, letting Jaemin thump his back and bring his juice to his lips. Calming down, he blinks at his friend, “so? Two of the most popular kids going to Yule together, is it _that _big of a surprise?”

Jaemin looks at him deadpanned, “you’re the one that just choked, you idiot. Anyways, that’s the thing- Haechan rejected him! He basically said something along the lines of ‘sorry, it’s not you, it’s me’ so fortunately, Lucas hasn’t taken it too hard. People think maybe it’s because he has another date that nobody knows about, but didn’t you say he doesn’t have one yet?”

Mark is shocked to say the least. He’s utterly confused as to why his bubbly, sassy, sunflower-personified friend would say no to a night with the practically perfect Lucas Wong, especially since he knows Donghyuck has been pressured to find a date.

“I have no idea, I know he doesn’t have one yet…”

Jaemin hums in thought with a barely-there smile that Mark can’t decipher.

The volume of gossiping teens has gone down, but the entrance of another student gets everyone rowdy again (‘what an eventful morning,’ Mark thinks). He turns again, less interested this time, but his neck almost suffers from whiplash when he recognizes the bronzed Slytherin walking to the Gryffindor table with a content look. At this point, people are unabashedly gawking at his every move, assuming he’s heading to Lucas who’s sat at the middle of the table. There are audible gasps when Haechan simply waltzes past him and continues to the very end of the table- right where Mark and Jaemin are seated. The oblivious boy plops down on Mark’s free side and sends Jaemin a cute grin, eyesmile and all, before giving Mark a peppy “Good Morning!”

The rest of the Hall is now pretending to mind their own business, at least forcing their eyes off of the scene, but Mark is still burning red. Donghyuck is digging into his food, not minding that Mark is so flustered.

“H-hyuck, why’re you sitting here? Not that I mind! But, ya know, you’ve never really done it before,” Mark splutters out. Jaemin flicks his head for the rude sounding question.

Donghyuck bounces in anticipation, turning his body more towards Mark, “Markie, I’ve got a surprise for you, well it’s honestly more for me but I think you’ll like it too!” He takes out a piece of parchment from his bag and holds it out for Mark to take. Mark unfolds the parchment and reads aloud for Haechan and Jaemin to hear, “To Mark, Haechan has been doing exceptionally well in recent classes, apparently due to your private tutoring, according to him. He’s improved significantly in reading shades and placement, particularly. So, go to the poor boy’s game, damn it Mark. Best, Professor Suh… huh, that was unexpected.”

Jaemin bursts out laughing, reaching over Mark to pat Haechan’s back, “you are the level of extra I aspire to be, Donghyuck, seriously.”

The two high-five, much to Mark’s disdain but the absolute satisfaction and pride in Donghyuck’s voice made him proud too.

“You told me you’d come if I improved in Div, and guess what, I got the proof in the fuckin pudding! I also def embarrassed myself in front of your uncle by asking him to write this but that’s besides the point.”

Mark rolls his eyes in amusement, “you know I was joking Hyuck, I obviously wouldn’t miss your match- I know it’s important to you. Speaking of important things, we’re all gonna be late to our classes if we don’t make moves right now.”

Haechan whines, stuffing a last bite of his muffin before getting up to leave. Mark chuckles at his complaints about how they shouldn’t have classes on game days and absentmindedly brushes off a crumb at the corner of his lip. Only Jaemin notices the pink spreading on the Seeker's cheeks.

Jaemin bid the two goodbye with a flying kiss, having to walk in the opposite direction to get to his lesson. Mark gags while Haechan pretends to catch the flying kiss and brings it to his heart—Mark wonders how the two weren’t friends even before Renjun became their mutual connection.

Mark and Haechan are walking to their classes in the North Wing, when Mark brings up the question burning in the back of his mind.

“Hey Hyuckie, you don’t hafta talk about it if you don’t want to, but I heard about the thing with Lucas. I thought you’d be happy he asked you?”

The silver haired boy pauses for a moment, collecting his thoughts, but shrugs in defeat, “hm, I don’t know, I would just feel bad saying yes to someone I don’t actually want to go with. Lucas is great and all, but it wouldn’t be fair to go with him when I’m sure someone else who really likes him will make his night the best ever. I explained it to him and he was real sweet about it, thankfully.”

Mark nods in understanding, “that’s very… thoughtful of you. Everyone was shook, I’m pretty sure they thought they were gonna see the ‘ridiculously beautiful couple’ walk hand in hand this morning.”

Haechan snorts, elbowing Mark in the ribs, “oh stop it, you’re being dramatic. Besides, I think there are plenty of other charming guys that I’d look better with.”

They reach Haechan’s classroom first and before Mark can even process that comment, the other boy wraps his hand around Marks arm.

“By the way, Markie! After tonight’s match, I was hoping you’d come to The Three Broomsticks with me and my friends—Injunnie’s probably asking Jaem and Jen right now. I’ll be needing a ton of celebratory drinks, orrr drinks to numb the pain, either way. Oh please please say yes!”

His berry tinted bottom lip juts out (he wonders if the tint is berry flavored, as well) and Mark swears he’s had to have saved 100 lives in his past life to have met someone this adorable.

“Of course I’ll be there, someone needs to keep Jeno and Jisung in check, those instigators need to stop trying to get everyone black out drunk all the time.”

Haechan cheers loudly, shaking Mark’s arm with fervor, until his professor shows up at the door clearing his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for the Yule Ball next chapter ;)  



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here, y'all! The final chapter is upon us, and boy was it a journey to write.  
Thank you thank you for all the comments and kudos and support, it means a lot~  
I honestly love the way this whole world and narrative came together, I hope you guys do too♡♡♡ 
> 
> And for Kitty_Lai, here's a list of the houses all the characters are in!
> 
> Mark- Gryffindor Prefect  
Haechan- Slytherin Quidditch Seeker  
Jeno- Gryffindor Quidditch Beater  
Renjun- Slytherin  
Jisung- Slytherin  
Jaemin- Hufflepuff Prefect  
Chenle- Hufflepuff  
Lucas- Gryffindor Quidditch Captain  
Jungwoo- Hufflepuff

There’s only 15 minutes left on the clock and Ravenclaw is ahead by 5 points, having one of the best Keepers in the game. Both teams are visibly much more worn out than just half an hour ago, but brooms, bats, and balls are still aggressively zooming around the stadium at speeds unfathomable to muggles. The golden snitch has only made an appearance twice, much less than it usually does, and both teams’ Seekers are definitely anxious, though they’d never dare show it. Haechan stops circling the arena and decides to go to the highest point possible to get a different view. There’s 10 minutes, and if the snitch doesn’t show itself soon, his team would lose and he _can’t _let that happen, they’ve worked too hard for this—plus, his guardian angel even showed up. He lets out a sigh, knowing no one could really see his facial expression unless they were hyper focused on him. He’s calculated his best guess for the snitch’s favorite flying patterns based on weather, date, the last game, all different variables but for some reason, it was barely showing face today. It was being… shy. Haechan gasps harshly (it might have to do with the air pressure up there), epiphany sparking into sheer adrenaline, and he’s diving down head first, 300 feet in the air. As if he’s not possibly plunging to his death, he thinks ‘I’m so dumb, of course if it’s shy it’ll be so close to the ground no one in a game of Quidditch would even suspect it’. The spectators yell, not knowing what the hell is going on, only seeing the blur of Haechan go past them, and a chasing Ravenclaw Seeker who assumes the other has seen the snitch.

The Slytherin has a shit-eating smirk on his face when he catches the glint of gold a mere 10 feet off the ground, but his speed doesn’t stop and at this point people must think he’s going to crash straight to the fucking ground. Some students even cover their eyes, not able to watch if something goes wrong, but Mark keeps his eyes trained on the determined boy, knowing he’s got it.

Haechan’s only 20 feet in the air when he goes for a deep dip, arch just right, arm out, and he’s shooting back up in the air until he can level out again. The stadium is so quiet they could hear a pin drop, and when Haechan reaches into the right sleeve of his uniform to pull out the golden snitch, the roars are deafening. The seeker is being pummeled to the ground by his teammates jumping on top of him and he can barely hear the announcer scream, “AND THAT’S SEEKER HAECHAN LEE SECURING THE WIN FOR SLYTHERIN WITH A MIGHTY FINE PLUMPTON PASS, EVERYONE!”

Mark is cradling two beers in his hands, glancing at the entrance of The Three Broomsticks every couple minutes. He was with Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung, waiting for Renjun to come in with the MVP Slytherin seeker who insisted he wash up and change after the game before going out in public (Mark remembers him saying something along the lines of having appearances to uphold for when he gets famous or something). Just as he’s thinking of how much of a fifth wheel he feels like at the moment, the chime on the door rings, signifying people coming in. Mark’s head whips to the door, and he’s ecstatic to find his friends, face automatically lighting up. The group waves them over and as the duo walk closer, Mark almost coos at the sight in front of him. Donghyuck’s silver hair is slightly poofy from the blow dry and he’s got pink cheeks, probably from the cool winds picking up outside. The boy who seems to completely disregard the cold as his adrenaline still hasn’t worn off, is wearing an oversized baby blue sweater with a white turtleneck underneath and slim black corduroy pants that hug his curves _just _right. He’s got that subtle berry tint on again, the one that got Mark wondering what it tasted like, and his heart can’t take the way the boy is beaming at him. Their friend group is wildly cheering and Haechan laughs with his whole body when Chenle tries to pick him up to twirl him around. When Haechan finally reaches Mark’s end of the table, the Gryffindor doesn’t need to say anything and the other boy is already jumping into his arms. Mark knows they’re both smiling like they just won the fucking lottery, ignores the raised eyebrows from the rest of the boys, and strokes the back of Hyuck’s head whispering, “I 100% knew you could do it, you’ve worked so hard, Sunflower.” Haechan giggles into Mark’s neck and gives his torso one last squeeze before raising one of the glasses in front of Mark, knowing one of them was his, and yells “let’s get fucked up!”

A couple hours, 14 beers, and 3 rounds of Goblin’s Gin later, the boys are a sliver past tipsy but the jubilant atmosphere of the bar hasn’t faded. They’ve slowed down, now sipping on their sugary cocktails of choice, when Renjun starts playing with Jeno’s hair since it happens to be laying comfortably on his shoulder.

“Nonooo, are you gonna dye your hair again for Yule? You said your growing roots were driving you crazy.”

“Hmm yeah I should, I wanna look fresh for my darlings,” Jeno says with a lazy grin.

Mark and Jisung groan at the cheesy comment but Jaemin doesn’t seem to mind at all, fondly pinching Jeno’s warm cheek.

Chenle rolls his eyes affectionately at his friends’ PDA and chirps, “Jisungie can do it for ya, Jen! He does my hair, like, every other week, seriously a master thanks to my irrational choices in hair styles.”

Jisung agrees and Haechan leans his body towards the ridiculously tall Slytherin, “Sungie, can you make my hair cute n wavy like that one time, pleeease!”

Jisung snorts, “Of course Hyuck, but I can’t unless you like actually go? Lucas obviously isn’t an option anymore… I told ya Hyunwoo’s been looking at you a shit ton in Transfiguration, should I lead him to ask you?”

The boys chuckle when Haechan hmphs and slinks back into his seat, dejected, “nooo, Hyunwoo’s the jacked type of hot but like he’s kinda boring to talk to. Besides, I think he’s only looking so he can copy my formations tbh.” 

Mark wraps his arm around the slumped boy next to him and pats his shoulder, aware that even if Haechan was acting light hearted about it, he was still anxious.

Renjun eyes the two with a gleam in his eye, “I’ve had the most brilliant idea—why don’t you two go together? Ya know, since both of y’all are painfully on the market, and Hyuck doesn’t wanna go with someone he won’t have a good time with.”

Jaemin claps loudly and gives Renjun a peck, “that’s a _great_ idea, darling! And this is why he’s the brains of this relationship, ladies and gentlemen.”

Completely taken off guard, Mark and Haechan whip towards each other, almost crashing heads. The second they make eye contact, furious blushes adorn their faces but Mark doesn’t move away when he realizes his arm is still casually resting around the other.

Haechan nibbles his bottom lip after shooting Renjun an indecipherable look, seemingly in deep thought. So Mark gathers up his Gryffindor courage and clears his throat, “I mean, I’m down for it if you are, Hyuckie. I’m like the most lowkey person you could go with, if that helps?”

Haechan looks up with a shy smile, slowly letting go of the tight nervous grip he had on the hem of his sweater, “okay… if you’re sure you want to. But just so you know, I’m not really a lowkey kind of person so sorry, not sorry, if a spotlight lands on us!”

The next day, Mark and Jeno wake up midday sporting throbbing headaches. The roommates drag their tired bodies to make it to lunch in the Great Hall so they can gain back some desperately needed nutrients. They go to their usual spot at the front of the long table and feel a little better after seeing a bunch of other haggard looking students appearing just as hungover from last night’s festivities.

“Ugh Mark, pass me that pot, I need to guzzle down that coffee to become human again.”

Mark pours himself a mug of the burning hot, almost black liquid and passes Jeno the pot.

He rubs his temple while blowing into the steaming cup, “I literally went yesterday thinking I was gonna stop you and Jisung from getting everyone plastered, yet here we are.”

Jeno chuckles, mouth now full of his chicken breast (Mark seriously does not envy his Beater friend’s diet), “You say that, but if we didn’t drink that much, do you think you’d have a date to Yule Ball right now?”

Mark punches the other in the shoulder, receiving a whine in return. He rubs the nape of his neck and takes another sip of his coffee, “d-do you think that was, ya know, for real? Like, we were pretty drunk—maybe he doesn’t even remember or he woke up today totally regretting it?”

Jeno rolls his eyes and huffs at his doubtful friend, “we’ve all been way drunker and have remembered deep ass conversations before, come on Mark. Anyways, you should of seen y’all yesterday, it was both super cringe and super adorable. Hyuck’s always pretty expressive but _you_, buddy, you can’t hide a thing you’re thinking when you’re drunk.”

Mark groans with a palm smushing his face but he jumps in his seat when he feels a hand fixing his askew glasses. He turns to see the culprit, now seated on his free side and he’s not even surprised at this point to see a way too perky Donghyuck.

“Good morning, or rather, afternoon, guys! No offense, but y’all kind of look like shit.”

He snickers at the defeated looks on the two Gryffindors, and playfully pats their backs as if they were babies needing to be comforted.

Jeno offers the boy the magically refilled coffee pot, “Hyuck, how in the hell are you so perfectly fine right now? We literally made you take extra shots for being MVP.”

Mark’s eyes are comically wide as his head whirls back and forth between his two friends, “wait what?! Why am I not aware of this—I told you guys not to pressure him to drink too much!”

Jeno sticks his tongue out, “it was while you were in the bathroom and anyways, it doesn’t even matter since Hyuck seems to be in much better condition than us losers.”

Haechan ruffles Mark’s silky hair and assures, “don’t worry, Little Lion—I willingly agreed, and besides, I’m the type that doesn’t really get hangovers. Oh, by the way Markie, the reason I’m here is because I was wondering if I could make our boutonnières for Yule? I’ve been wanting to suggest it to the rest of flower arranging club, since I think it’d be kinda cute and more meaningful than just buying them.”

He looks at Mark with sparkling eyes and the Gryffindor is washed with a feeling of relief, consolation, and restored confidence, all at the same time. Mark ignores the I-told-you-so look and nudge to the ribs that Jeno sends him.

“Of course, Hyuckie, your nickname is Sunflower for good reason. I can’t wait to finally see the skills of the co-president of flower arranging club.”

“Yay! I’m actually excited for Yule now that I know I’m going with someone I can be real with. You’re okay with a sort of cerulean blue, yes?”

Mark doesn’t have time to be proud for being someone trustworthy for the other as his mind is scrambling to think of what cerulean blue looks like.

Jeno snorts and lets Haechan know Mark will be good with any color scheme the other wants.

Mark can’t argue and gives Haechan an abashed look, “heh sorry, I really don’t know much about these things, I’m only smart when it comes to academics… Would you, maybe, like to choose my tie and the color of my suit? Since I clearly lack fashion knowledge, and I want us to look good for photos cus I know you like, live for that stuff.”

Haechan gasps, bringing a hand to his chest, “you know me so well, guardian angel—I would love to make you look like the hottie of everyone’s dreams!” Jeno gags when Haechan winks cheekily.

He smirks teasingly, “so like… can I make you wear a harness, or is that pushing it too far?”

Mark simply flicks his forehead but Jeno chokes on his water, satisfying the Slytherin with his reaction. 

🍪

The Yule Ball takes place on Winter Solstice Eve every four years for upperclassmen, which is why students and staff (Mark’s uncle had told him a few professor love stories have stemmed from Balls in the past) always make such a big deal out of it. Since students only experience it once or twice if they’re lucky, and it lands on such a romantic date, the Ball truly outshines any other event taken place at Hogwarts with it’s extravagant lights, winter palace vibes, and royally dressed students who’ve prepared far in advance to impress.

Mark is pacing in the hallway in front of the kitchens, the exact one where he had caught Haechan and Ollie more than a month ago. He finds it pretty unfathomable how close the two, and their friend groups, have become in such a short amount of time, but right now he can’t think about anything other than what a ball of nerves he is. He swipes his palm on his sleek deep burgundy notch lapel suit, smoothing out wrinkles that didn’t exist because Donghyuk had come over the night before to steam it to perfection. Mark makes sure not to fondle the elegant handmade boutonnière (he learns much later that they were made with forget-me-nots which symbolize life-long memories, absolute trust, and true love, bless Hyuck’s soul) in his hands too much. The Slytherin had already warned him they should be fashionably late, so he knows that by now, the rest of their friend group already got their photos taken on the blue carpet (yes, there was a very extra photo wall and everything, it _is _2019 after all). 

“Well don’t you just look like a tall drink of wine—you look handsome without your cute lil glasses, Markie.”

Mark lets out a fond laugh and takes in the intoxicating view of the figure walking closer and closer. His silver hair is in effortless beachy waves with a few tiny buds of baby’s breath pinned, or charmed- he’s not sure, in such a delicate manner, it makes Mark feel some sort of way. His skin looks extra sunkissed against the rich emerald green of his jacquard suit that’s tailored to hug him like no one else could wear it. Haechan’s lips are slightly glossy, making them look even more plush, and the shimmer on the tops of his cheekbones and eyes catch the light to make him the most luminous thing Mark’s ever laid eyes on.

“Sunflower, you look… stunning, literally breathtaking.”

Haechan suddenly looks shy when he reaches him but still pulls him into a warm embrace, hoping Mark can’t see the pink now tinting his ears.

“Let’s get this tie on you, yeah?”

Haechan takes the silk black tie he brought with him and loops it around Mark’s neck like he’s done it a million times. He buttons up the blazer and takes a step back to admire his handiwork, “there, all done! You look so luxe, I almost can’t believe you’re the same guy that basically trips on air.”

Mark clicks his tongue in offense but decides he’ll take it as a compliment on his appearance tonight. He glances down at the tie that Donghyuck insisted he bring the night of instead of the day before and notices a bit below the knot is a daintily embroidered snake—a Slytherin snake, to be exact. He gasps, looking up to the other grinning boy and that’s when he realizes they’ve got matching ties, except Donghyuck’s had a small lion instead.

Mark bites his lip to stop a huge smile from growing on his face, but fails terribly, “Hyuckie, I fucking love it, I really have no words to describe how much I love it; thank you so much. You’re some type of genius, I swear.” Overwhelmed by the pure adoration for the thoughtful boy that seems to grow and grow by the second, Mark places a steady hand on the back of the boy’s head and plants a light kiss on his forehead.

Haechan squeaks in surprise and looks up to meet his eyes in awe.

“Y-you’re welcome, I’m so glad you like it! Should we, uhm, put on each other’s boutonnières now?”

Mark smirks through his nod, pleased at how much he could placate the usually fiery athlete. The two carefully pin the flowers onto their lapel buttonholes. Mark jolts, remembering the weight of something in his pocket. Reaching in, he pulls out two sparkling studs in his hand.

“Oh, I almost forgot! So, uh I really couldn’t stop my mom from sending these, but she kind of sent these as a gift? When I told her I was actually going to Yule with someone, she forced me to tell her allll about you, how we met, all that. She was kinda disappointed we were going as friends but said, quite rudely, that I’m lucky to even have a friend kind enough to go with me, let alone someone like you, so I gotta snatch you up with gifts, or something.” 

Haechan lifts his gaze off the gems to laugh at Mark’s miffed expression, “damn, Mama Lee’s a savage, and has amazing taste in jewelry. Tell her I say thank you… though, I’ll definitely have to thank her in person when I meet her.” He takes the studs from Mark’s hand and secures them on his lobes. Mark realizes the other had just implied that they’d be meeting each others’ families eventually and can’t help but be hopeful.

“Now that my finishing touches are done, shall we head over to the blue carpet?”

Mark hums in agreement and offers Haechan a hooked arm, to which the other gladly holds onto.

The pair walk arm in arm to the entrance of the blue carpet that leads all the way down to the grandiose open ballroom where people are mingling. Always feeling awkward around cameras, Mark hesitates when he steps onto the icy blue runway but within a second, Haechan’s hand slides it’s way down to intertwine with his, and he’s being pulled to the center of the photowall. Immediately, the four photographers jump into action, eating up the absolute confidence and ease exuding from the silver haired boy. Mark has no idea what to do when the other naturally moves from posing to one camera to the next, but is once again led when Haechan guides Mark’s arm to cradle his waist.

“Give your most handsome smile Markie, I will def be uploading these photos as a #throwbackthursday when we’re famous,” the other jokes, effectively making him relax. 

They walk to the where the ballroom begins and heads turn, eyes are focused on them, and mouths are moving faster.

Haechan pays them no mind, rather scanning the room to try and spot their friends. He perks up when he sees them all chatting at a table near the dance floor, sipping drinks in champagne flutes, and hooks his arm onto Mark’s again to not lose him on the way. The crowd makes way for them easily, and Mark tries not to cave into himself from the most attention he’s ever received in his life. He can’t help but overhear the murmurs around them, “Haechan rejected Lucas to go with prefect Mark?” “Damn, Haechan looks fiiine, Mark is so fucking lucky dude” “Is that Mark Lee? I guess being Haechan’s date really made him glow up, huh” “That’s gotta be the best looking couple tonight, seriously it’s hardly fair how good they look!”

They reach the table and take turns hugging all their friends, all complimenting how they look.

Jeno is the first to notice that the two friends unconsciously brought their hands back together after settling down. He catches Mark’s eye and nods at their clasped hands, to which Mark simply mouths ‘it’s comfortable’. The Slytherin squeezes his hand before letting go to grab more drinks with Chenle and Jisung, who are still ooh-ing and aah-ing at their best friend’s whole look.

Jaemin waits until the two are out of earshot and dramatically turns to him, “Mark, what the actual hell, this is the most handsome you’ve ever looked, ever! And don’t even get me started on Haechan, but like, woah you two are _so_ gorgeous together.” Even Renjun who typically doesn’t compliment anything unless he really means it, nods frantically, “I thought we were watching a photoshoot when y’all were walking over here, arms all locked together and shit.”

Mark’s face heats up, “hah, it’s all him guys, he literally told me which suit to get, handmade our boutonnières, and made these ties. Also, we basically did have a photoshoot out there, seriously I don’t know how he does it—I feel so lackluster next to him. I hope I don’t ruin it by, ya know being me.”

Jeno rolls his eyes but puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “Mark, just because he’s in his element doesn’t mean he needs or wants you to be. In fact, isn’t that exactly the reason why he came with you and not Lucas or Hyunwoo? Obviously he knows you’re out of your comfort zone with all this, but he wanted to have a genuinely good time and you’re exceptionally great at that.”

“Nono’s right, Mark. I, of all people, know my way around Hyuck’s wild, fast-paced brain and he wants to be here with you, and probs your bed-” Renjun cuts himself off when he gets poked in the ribs by Jaemin. 

Mark sends them a grateful smile, “yeah, I guess you’re right. Thanks guys, I’m just a little frazzled by all these people babbling on and on.”

“People babbling about what?” Haechan is back with a drink in each hand, Chenle and Jisung in tow with a fancy plate of hor dourves, handing Mark the one that doesn’t look drunken out of.

“Mm nothing, there’s just some talk about Lucas bringing Jungwoo tonight!” Jaemin chimes.

“Oh yeah, I just bumped into them near the drinks! Such cuties, I’m so glad Lucas got his shit together and asked him—the poor Hufflepuff’s had a crush on him since we all had that Mag Creatures class last year,” Haechan says, looking pleased.

There’s a sudden ringing of fork being tapped on a glass, music lowering, and the booming voice of the Headmaster hushes the rowdy students.

“I’ll make this short since I know all of you are dying to get to the dance floor. I’d simply like to officially welcome everyone to the Yule Ball of 2019!” She waits for the cheers to dim, before starting again, “All of you look fantastic and I am so extremely proud to continue on this tradition of flourishing the mixing of house relations. You all have and will continue to form bonds with friends, from your house and other houses, that will last lifetimes. Enjoy these moments together and have fun, lovelies!” The crowd cheers loudly another time, and Mark is almost sure the Headmaster smiles directly at their table when she turns to leave. He wonders if their friend group is a topic of gossip among their professors- he'll have to ask his uncle. He peeks at the bronzed boy next to him, and can almost physically feel that bond that their Headmaster was just talking about. As if he knew Mark was thinking about him, Donghyuck turns his head to hold Mark’s gaze.

The music is turned back up to the max and students start making moves to the dance floor—Taki Taki was a crowdpleaser, after all.

“Why’re you looking at me like that, Markie?”

The boy in question smirks and fixes a strand of hair in front of the other’s eyes, “we’re here to dance till we pass out, are we not?”

Haechan laughs excitedly and pushes Mark to the dance floor, resulting in the rest being dragged out too.

After almost 2 hours of nonstop dancing, Haechan really meant it when he said he liked to dance, the boys decide to camp out at an abandoned table. They’re all panting, exhausted from the workout, and Mark offers to grab some water. Donghyuck thanks him and mentions something about having promised his club friend Alex a dance. Mark chuckles at the overflowing energy of the boy, and waves him off to hurry and go join his friend for a bit. Haechan gives him a quick hug and throws a, “I’ll be right back!” over his shoulder.

The Gryffindor weaves between some people to get to the drinks table and grabs a couple bottles of water. As he’s on his way back to their friends’ table, there’s a group of students blocking his path, not noticing someone was trying to get through. As he’s about to go around them, he hears one of them say, “bruh, look at him dancing like that, it’s like he’s asking for me to hit on him.”

Mark recognizes him as a 5th year Slytherin by the name of Eric that he occasionally saw in the circle around Haechan when he walked the halls.

Eric’s friend responds with a snort, “Haechan hasn’t even looked your way the past, what, year and a half? That’s a pretty long time to flirt with someone just to ‘tap that ass,’ my man.” 

Mark pauses, eyes widening when he realizes they’re talking about his friend.

Eric rolls his eyes and scoffs, “yeah like what the fuck, he rejects Lucas, who I know I probably can’t compete with, but then he shows up with Mark Lee? That bitch really doesn’t know what’s good for him, huh? I’d show him a much better night, ya feel.”

Mark clenches his fists when they start laughing, and he feels the burning sensation of anger rising in his throat, disgusted by the conversation he’d just heard. He grits his teeth and storms in between the two.

“I really don’t think the best way to seduce someone is to call them a bitch behind their back, you fucking moronic jackass,” he smirks when the two boys look bewildered. Mark rushes back to his table, drops off the water, and doesn’t let anyone finish thanking him before he’s rushing to the main entrance with a muffled, “I need some air.”

He doesn’t turn back, but he can hear a fading “where’s Markie going?” in the distance. He feels bad for leaving so suddenly, but he needs to sort out his many emotions right at this moment before he implodes. His shoulders become less tense when the cool air of the nearly empty hall hits him and he starts walking to the stairwell leading outside, knowing no one in their right mind would freeze their asses off there. Mark takes a seat close to the bottom of the stairs, not willing to go all the way down to the snow. He rests his head in his hands, taking deep breaths and willing himself to calm down.

‘Merlin, poor Hyuck having to deal with these assholes all the time- now I know why he ditches parties and doesn’t wanna go anywhere without one of us there. Really, the audacity of people who think they know him and what’s best for him… and then calling him a bitch just because he’s not interested in fucking?’

Mark feels the urge to go back and punch the guy in the face, but knows it’s irrational with him being a prefect, and that Donghyuck wouldn’t want him to be violent. He groans when he feels his very deeply buried insecurities rise back up when thinking about the pretty boy.

‘Just because we came together doesn’t mean he feels anything beyond friendship, right? I mean, he literally came with me because he’s comfortable with me. Shit, Mark why’d you have to go and catch feelings?? This is why I can’t have nice things… he could have anyone he wants; why would he choose me? But, I don’t think I could bear to see him with someone else.’

Mark tenses when he hears a pair of shoes on the staircase coming closer to him. He knows it’s Donghyuck from his rather lazy way of walking that results in the bottoms of his shoes wearing out more easily. The warm body settles down next to him and arms are slipped around his torso. With the side of his face planted on Mark’s shoulder, he let’s out a soft “Markie, it’s so cold, what’re we gonna do when the _best_ prefect is sick? Oh, don’t tell Jaem I said that.”

Mark finally lifts his head to look at the boy clinging to him and offers an amused half-smile. The other pouts at the disheartening reaction, “what happened, Little Lion?”

Mark’s gears turn in his head, deliberating on what he should say. He shakes his head, “nothing, Hyuckie, I just needed some air, it was getting stuffy in there.”

Donghyuck furrows his brows and flashes his disappointed eyes, “no, it’s not nothing. You’re a terrible liar, honey. Please tell me, it hurts to see you upset.”

The Gryffindor’s heart tugs at the term of endearment and let’s his wall crumble.

“It’s just that I happened to overhear a conversation that infuriated me. It was… Eric and his friend. They were saying some pretty shitty things about someone, called them a bitch just because they weren’t interested in him and said they had no standards or something.”

The other bites his lip with caution, placing a hand on Mark’s cheek to stop him from turning away, “w-was it me? Was he talking about me?”

Mark puts a hand on top of the hand on his cheek and sighs, “yeah, I’m so sorry, Sunflower, I wanted to punch him so bad. He’s an ignorant prick and will never ever deserve to have you.”

Donghyuck smiles up at him with fondness, “well, I’m glad you didn’t punch him cus that means less time to spend together if you’re in detention… it’s okay, Markie. Really, I’m used to it—Eric especially, since he’s been leeching onto me for more than a year no matter how many hints I drop. Though, I’ll make sure he fucks off for good, this time.”

“See, but that’s what makes it worse—you shouldn’t _have _to be used to it or _have _to grow thick skin to ignore stupid assholes.”

“I know… but not all people are like you, Markie. I’m one of the lucky ones, I’ve got my angel to make me feel better, to pick me up, and distract me from all the meanies with bad intentions.”

Mark grins shyly, “I’m glad I could do those things for you… you do them for me too.”

Donghyuck jumps into his arms again, knees clashing, and plants a kiss on Mark’s forehead, similar to how the other had done earlier that night.

“So, are you feeling better now?”

Mark’s smile dampens a little as he groans, “ugh, I’m so sorry, I hope I didn’t ruin the mood—this was supposed to be a night for you to have fun and let loose.”

“Hey, it’s not your fault Eric was being a dick and you, as an actually nice person, got upset. Besides, no matter what, this is the best night ever, for me. I’m here with you; what more could I ask for?”

“It’s just, it’s not like I was your first choice or anything… and then I make you come out here in the cold cus I stormed out.”

“Who says you weren’t my first choice?”

Mark tilts his head in confusion, “huh? Wasn’t I, like, a last resort type of thing?”

Donghyuck lets go of the hug they’re in and looks down at his hands, “I mean, just because it happened kinda late doesn’t mean I didn’t wanna go with you… I-I was waiting for you to ask me. I was losing hope until Renjun suggested we go together and you agreed. I don’t know if you could tell but I was really happy.”

Mark gapes at the blushing boy in front of him, “you wanted _me_ to ask you? This whole time I thought you were waiting for someone in particular, I just never would’ve guessed it’d be me.”

The other brings his gaze up at him, “o-only you- the only person I want to be here with is you. That’s why I made your tie with a snake and mine with a lion… so that we could have each other near the others’ heart.” Donghyuck covers his face with his hands, curled up in embarrassment.

Mark’s insecurities fly away with the wind as he pulls his crush’s hands from his face. He wraps an arm around the slim waist and brings their bodies so close, it’s no longer cold. He lifts the silver haired boy’s chin up with a finger and every bone in his body yells at him to kiss those tempting lips.

Donghyuck’s eyes flutter closed when Mark leaves light kisses on his forehead, then both eyes, then his nose, and his chin. The Slytherin is nearly shaking in anticipation, but pouts and opens his eyes when a kiss doesn’t land on the place he wants it most. Mark grins teasingly at the pout, raising his free arm to stroke the bottom lip with his thumb. The other leans into the palm, “kiss me, Markie. You’ve made me wait for so long.”

Mark leans in closer, their breath looking opaque from the cold air, “I’m sorry for making you wait so long, my Sunflower.”

He connects their lips, and they melt in each others’ embrace, lips tingling with excitement but chests warm with the feeling of finally getting to indulge in the sweetest of treats. Dongyuck’s arms wrap around his neck, bringing them impossibly closer, and Mark can physically feel the love, the want and the desperation the other has felt the past month. How could he have been so blind to these intense feelings? They press their lips together until they can longer breath, Mark pulling away first. He savors the view of the panting boy who looks ethereal with the pink in his cheeks and tips of his ears. Donghyuck whines cutely when Mark doesn’t go in for another kiss, “kiss me again, pleeease- I’ll do anything.”

“Honey, you don’t have to do anything for my kisses—I’m always willing to give them to my lover.”

The sunkissed boy giggles and practically purrs into Mark’s chest, “I would like another one right now please, lover.”

He appeases the younger who eagerly smashes his lips onto his, tangling tongues, and relishing in Donghyuck’s soft moans of gratification. It’s all so slow and sweet yet heated and passionate; Mark can’t tell if it’s been 10 minutes or an hour, but when flakes of snow start to fall, he knows he can’t keep the boy outside much longer or he’ll get sick. He holds the other’s nape and slowly pulls away from this euphoric state. Donghyuck unconsciously spills out a whimper, knowing they have to stop, and his eyes flutter open.

“Oh Sunflower, look at you with your lips all swollen and hair mussed up.”

Donghyuck playfully hits his chest and is quick to fix his wavy strands. Mark grins at his shy reaction and helps the boy tidy up his hair.

“Markie, if we go back, they’re definitely gonna clown us, I mean, I literally can’t stop smiling,” Donghyuck concedes.

“Well, we could always fill them in on details tomorrow… why don’t we go grab some jackets from my room, a blanket, plus a couple hot cocoas, and go up to the astronomy tower?”

“I like the way you think, my Lion.”

Mark grabs Donghyuck’s hand to intertwine their fingers and can’t help but anticipate the look of his lover in his biggest puffer jacket. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for staying till the end and I hope you fell for the characters as much as I did!♡


End file.
